Multi-stage pump



Jan. 21, 1964 P. R. YATES MULTI-STAGE PUMP Filed April 9, 1962 FIG.4

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FIG. I

United States Patent 3,118,385 MULTI-STAGE PUMP Paul R. Yates, Clinton, Okla. (1020 NW. 31st, Oklahoma City, Okla.) Filed Apr. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 185,930 4 Claims. (Cl. 10387) The present invention relates to pumps and more particularly to a submersible pump for producing fluids from wells.

The principal object of the instant invention is to provide an improved type suctorial and impeller blade unit for lifting fluids from an oil well or the like.

Another object is to provide a fluid lifting pump which is electrically driven.

Another object is to provide a fluid lifting unit which, through centrifugal force and compression, lifts fluid from the bottom of a drilled well to the surface of the earth.

Another object is to provide a pump bowl equipped staging unit which simultaneously functions as a suctorial, propeller and impeller unit and diffuses the fluid being pumped.

Still another object is to provide a stage unit for a fluid pump which may be multiply assembled to form a pump of any predetermined length to provide the necessary force for lifting the fluid out of the well and at a desired volume.

The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by connecting a tubular pump body to the depending end of a string of pipe with motor means secured to the depending end of the pump body. A motor driven shaft is centrally journaled within the pump body. A pump bowl is coaxially received within the pump body and nests a blade equipped fluid lifting unit axially connected for rotation with the drive shaft.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the pump;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of one of the pump staging units;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the rotating blade equipped unit, per se; and,

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral indicates a cylindrical pump body connected to the depending end of a discharge pipe 12 and having electrical motor means 14 connected to the depending closed bottom end portion 11 of the pump body by bolts and nuts 15. A screen 16 surrounds a series of circumferential ports 18 formed in the depending end portion 11 of the pump body. The motor means 14 includes a drive shaft 20 which is drivably coupled with a vertically disposed hexagonal shaped drive shaft 22 by a coupling bushing 24 journaled by a support 25 connected with the pump body wall. The upwardly disposed end portion of the drive shaft 22 is similarly journaled by a drive shaft support 26 connected to the inner wall of the pump bowl. The drive shaft support 26 is provided with a circumferential series of fluid passageway ports or outlets 28.

An insulated electrical cord 39, connected with a source of electrical energy at the surface of the earth, not shown, and suitably clamped to the pipe 12 and pump body 16 operates the motor 14.

A series of pump bowls 32 are coaxially received by the bore of the pump body in superposed relation above the ports 18 and below the drive shaft support 26. The

3,118,385 Patented Jan. 21, 1964 ice bowl 32 is cylindrical in general configuration and includes an upstanding central cylindrical ring portion 34 concentric with the outer wall 36 of the bowl and connected with the depending end portion of the latter by the bowl bottom or web 38. The upper end edge of the ring 34 terminates substantially below the plane defining the upper end of the bowl wall 36 and the wall of the ring 34, adjacent its upper edge, and is provided with a series of parallelogram shaped angularly disposed fluid outlet ports 48.

A fluid moving unit or member 42 is coaxially received within the bowl 32 above and around the ring 40. The unit 42 includes a ring portion 44 contiguously surrounding the bowl ring 34 which is connected at its upper end to a horizontal outstanding flange 45 having an outside diameter of a selected size to provide a desired circumferential space 43 between the periphery of the flange and the inner wall surface of the bowl. A series of arcuately curved propelling blades 48 having inwardly diverging side edges are connected to the upper surface of the flange 45. The outwardly disposed tip end portion of each of the blades 48 are tangential with the outer cylindrical plane of the flange 45 and terminate adjacent the inward edge of the flange 45. A horizontal plate 46, diametrically equal with respect to the diameter of the flange 45, overlies and is integral with the upper surface of the blades 48. A circumferential series of impeller blades 52, identically shaped and staggered with respect to the propeller blades 48, are connected to the upper surface of the plate 46. The horizontal plane, defined by the upper surface of the impeller blades 52, is spaced downwardly of the horizontal plane defined by the upper end of the bowl wall 36. An upstanding cylindrical member 54 is integrally coaxially connected at its depending end with the plate 46 and is provided with a central hexagonal aperture 56 extended through the plate 46 through which the drive shaft 22 is extended for rotation of the unit 42. The member 54 extends upwardly above the upper edge surface of the bowl wall 36 a distance substantially equal to the vertical height of the wall forming the inner bowl ring 34. The periphery of the member 54 is provided with a circumferential series of suctorial-propeller blades 58 positioned angularly around the periphery of the member 54 cooperative with the fluid outlet openings 40. The overall diameter of the member 54 and its blades 58 is closely received by the inner wall of the bowl ring 34.

Operation In operation the pump is assembled as described hereinabove. Rotation of the drive shaft 22 by the motor 14 rotates the fluid moving units 42 in a counter clockwise direction, as seen in FIG. 3, so that the propeller blades 48 in the lowermost portion of the pump bowl 32 around the ring 34 draw fluid into the bowl through the bowl ports 40, through the spaces between the blades 48 and by centrifugal force disperses the fluid upwardly along the inner surface of the bowl wall 36 through the space 43 to be picked up by the impeller blades 52 which forces the fluid against the bottom surface and into the ring 34 of the next superposed bowl 32 to be received by the suctorial-propeller blades 58 within the bowl ring 34 and forced outwardly through the surrounding bowl ports 48 aided by the propeller blades 48 of the next or superposed unit 42. Thus it may be seen that a plurality of the units 42 within their respective pump bowls 32 cooperate in a suctorial, propelling and impelling manner to force well fluids by centrifugal force through the bowl ports 40 and upwardly through the pump and discharge ports 28 through the pipe 12 toward the surface of the earth. A check valve, not shown, is installed in the top portion of the pump or in the pipe 12 to prevent fluid draining back into the well.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fluid pump, comprising: a cylindrical body; a pump bowl within said body, said pump bowl having a central opening defined by an upstanding inner wall forming a ring, said inner wall having a circumferential series of ports adjacent its upper edge; a fluid moving unit disposed within said bowl, said fluid moving unit comprising a plate resting on the upper edge surface of said ring, propeller and impeller blades secured to the respective upper and lower surfaces, of said plate outwardly of the cylindrical plane defined by said ring, an upstanding member centrally secured to said plate; a series of suctorialpropeller blades radially secured to the upper end portion of said cylindrical member; and means for rotating said fluid moving unit.

2. A fluid pump, comprising: an elongated cylindrical body adapted to be connected with the depending end of a pipe string; electrical motor means connected to the depending end of said body, said motor having a drive shaft, said body having a series of ports in its wall adjacent said motor means; a driven shaft coaxially supported by said body and connected with said drive shaft; a pump bowl within said bony, said pump bowl having a central opening defined by an upstanding inner Wall forming a ring, said inner wall having a circumferential series of ports adjacent its upper edge; and a fluid moving unit disposed within said bowl, and rotated by said driven shaft, said fluid moving unit comprising a plate resting on the upper edge surface of said ring, propeller and impeller blades secured to the respective upper and lower surfaces, of said plate outwardly of the cylindrical plane defined by said ring, an upstanding member centrally secured to said plate, and a series of suctorialpropeller blades radially secured to the upper end portion of said cylindrical member.

3. A fluid pump, comprising: an elongated cylindrical body adapted to be connected with the depending end of a pipe string; electrical motor means connected to the depending end of said body, said motor having a drive shaft,

said body having a series of ports in its wall adjacent said motor means; a driven shaft coaxially supported by said body and connected with said drive shaft; a pump bowl within said body around said drive shaft, said pump bowl having a central opening defined by an upstanding inner wall forming a ring and a fluid passageway surrounding said driven shaft, said ring having a circumferential series of ports adjacent its upper edge surface; and a fluid moving unit within said pump bowl drivably connected with said driven shaft for rotation therewith, said fluid moving unit comprising a horizontal plate supported by the upper edge surfa e of said ring, a series of impeller blades secured to the upper surface of said plates, and a series of propeller blades secured to the lower surface of said plate around said ring.

4. A fluid pump, comprising: an elongated cylindrical body adapted to be connected with the depending end of a pipe string; electrical motor means connected to the depending end of said body, said motor having a drive shaft, said body having a series of ports in its wall adjacent said motor means; a driven shaft coaxially supported by said body and connected with said drive shaft; :1 pump bowl within said body around said drive shaft, said pump bowl having a central opening defined by an upstanding inner wall forming a ring and a fluid passageway surrounding said driven shaft, said ring having a circumferentinl series of ports adjacent its upper edge surface; and a fluid moving unit within said pump bowl and drivably connected with said driven shaft for rotation therewith, said fluid moving unit comprising a horizontal plate supported by the upper edge surface of said ring, a series of impeller blades secured to the upper surface of said plate, and a series of propeller blades secured to the lower surface of said plate around said ring, an upstanding cylindrical member connected with said plate around said driven shaft, and arcuate suctorial-propeller blades radially secured to said cylindrical member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,361,107 Smoot Dec. 7, 1920 1,816,731 Hawley July 28, 1931 2,667,128 Bergh Jan. 26, 1954 

1. A FLUID PUMP, COMPRISING: A CYLINDRICAL BODY; A PUMP BOWL WITHIN SAID BODY, SAID PUMP BOWL HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING DEFINED BY AN UPSTANDING INNER WALL FORMING A RING, SAID INNER WALL HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL SERIES OF PORTS ADJACENT ITS UPPER EDGE; A FLUID MOVING UNIT DISPOSED WITHIN SAID BOWL, SAID FLUID MOVING UNIT COMPRISING A PLATE RESTING ON THE UPPER EDGE SURFACE OF SAID RING, PROPELLER AND IMPELLER BLADES SECURED TO THE RESPECTIVE UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES, OF SAID PLATE OUTWARDLY OF THE CYLINDRICAL PLANE DEFINED BY SAID RING, AN UPSTANDING MEMBER CENTRALLY SECURED TO SAID PLATE; A SERIES OF SUCTORIALPROPELLER BLADES RADIALLY SECURED TO THE UPPER END PORTION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER; AND MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID FLUID MOVING UNIT. 